Dow High's Krzciok signs letter of intent to swim at Miami of Ohio

Fred Kellyfred.kelly@mdn.net

Updated 9:21 pm, Thursday, November 16, 2017

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Dow High's Krzciok signs letter of intent to swim at Miami of Ohio

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Dow High's swim program just keeps churning out NCAA Division I athletes. The latest entry in that long line of standouts is senior sprinter Jacob Krzciok, who signed a national letter of intent recently to swim at Miami University of Ohio, which competes in the Mid-American Conference.

"It's just a really great school, and I really like the academic side of things there, and the campus is beautiful," Krzciok said, adding of his official visit to Miami on Sept. 12, "I really enjoyed hanging out with the team, and I felt really welcome."

Krzciok (pronounced "Ka-ZOOK") should excel at the collegiate level because he is a "dedicated and focused" athlete, according to Dow coach Gary Strickler.

"He seems to have the ability to stay on purpose and on task, and he trains very, very hard," said Strickler. "Above and beyond that, I think he's a competitor that likes to win, and he really enjoys that (competitive) part of swimming. He's at his best at meets and in competitions, and he swims for the (benefit) of the team.

"He leads the team and is an outstanding example for all of the young guys coming in, primarily through his dedication and focus," Strickler added.

Krzciok, who also visited Michigan State, Oakland, and Grand Valley State, said is looking forward to swimming for Miami coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron, who has headed the RedHawks since 2016 after a very successful six-year stint at Nova Southeastern.

"She's actually really nice," Krzciok said of Bonewit-Cron. "I can tell that she's really passionate about what she does. I got along with her really well when I was talking with her (during my visit)."

Having built the Nova Southeastern swim program from the ground up, Bonewit-Cron led the Sharks to four Sunshine State Conference team championships, multiple NCAA Division II individual championships, and 151 All-America honors between the program's first year of competition (2010-11) and her final year at Southeastern (2015-16). She also guided the Sharks to a fourth-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championships.

Strickler said he thinks Krzciok will be "a great fit for Miami."

"I think he'll be able to go in and make an immediate impact as a contributor during his freshman year," Strickler noted. "He could possibly end up swimming on their 'A' relays, which is always a goal for any swimmer going to college. He's going to be a sprinter, probably doing the 50 (meter) and 100 (meter) free(style), but he may also move up and add butterfly to his repertoire."

"Jacob's addition to our Class of 2022 will provide valuable talent in our sprint training group." Bonewit-Cron said. "From the moment I spoke with him, his energy was evident and his goals became very clear.

"Having Jacob join us for the next four years as a RedHawk will be valuable for the short term and long term. I am confident that he will excel in our program with our leadership and his drive."

Krzciok, who was named Most Outstanding Swimmer at last year's Saginaw Valley League meet, went on to finish fourth at the state finals in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 46.79. He was expected to contend for a state title in the 50 free but ended up missing the championship cut after prelims and settled for ninth place overall, taking first in the consolation final with a time of 21.59. He was also a part of the Chargers' eighth-place 200 free relay team (1:29.20) at the state finals.

Strickler said that Krzciok has come very close to breaking Nehemiah Mork's school record in the 50 free, missing it by a few hundredths of a second.

"It would be very nice and would be quite an honor to win a state championship this year," said Krzciok, whose personal-best times in the sprint events are 20.89 in the 50 free and 46.51 in the 100 free.

"I was seeded high (in the 50 free) last year and couldn't quite (make it to the final round), so this year, I'm hoping (to contend for that state title)," he added. "As for Miami, I want to help the team out and contribute to the team and improve myself while helping the team out."

Krzciok joins Dow alumni Brad Craig, Greg Strickler, Gabe Strickler, Ben Martin, Jackson Goethe, and Mork, among others, who have gone on to swim at the Division I level.